House-cleaning apparatus



No. 751,380. v PATENTED PEBjz, 1904. G. OLEMENTS & J. M. HUSTLER. HOUSE CLEANING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1903. 7 N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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HOUSE CLEANING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, .1903.

Nb MODEL,

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P T NT OFFICE.

GEORGE CLEMENTS AND JAMES M. HOSTLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HOUSE-CLEANING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 751,380, dated February 2, 1904.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, GEoReE OLEMEN'rs and JAMES M. HOSTLER, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in House-Cleaning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in house-cleaning means, and its object is to provide a machine which may be readily drawn from place to place and which is provided with an engine to suck air through a suitably-arranged tube into a tank in which water is sprayed automatically. The machine is adapted to draw dust, &c., into the tank, and the water sprayed thereinto will prevent dust from being drawn into the pump.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists in providing a vehicle upon which is arranged an engine adapted to drive a suitable exhaust-pump, which is connected to a cylinder having an inlet to which hose of any desired length may be connected. A water-tank is arranged above this lastmentioned tank and communicates therewith, the outlet from said water-tank being provided with a spray whereby the dust upon being sucked into the first-mentioned tank will be promptly moistened and will drop to the bottom of the tank and be prevented from passing into the pump.

The invention consists in the further novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, showing the preferred form of our invention, and in which V Figure l is a side elevation of our improved machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the tanks thereof; and Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the engine, showing the clutch mechanism whereby the engine may be employed for driving either the pump or the vehicle.

Referring to the figures by numerals of reference, 1 is the platform of a vehicle, one

of the traction wheels 2 of which has a sprocket 3 connected thereto, which is adapt- Application filed May 9, 1903. SerialNo. 156,436. (No modeL) ed to be driven by a chain A, mounted ona' sprocket 5. This last-mentioned sprocket is loosely mounted upon the shaft 6 of an engine 7, and the engineis adapted to be pro' pelled by steam generated within a boiler 8. It willof. course be understood that any other form of engine may be substituted for the one herein shown and described. A second sprocket-wheel 9 is loosely mounted on the shaft 6, and either of the sprockets 5 and 9 is adapted to be secured to the shaft 6 by means of a sliding clutch 10, which is feathered on shaft 6 and adaptedto be moved longitudinally thereon by means of a lever 11. This lever may be locked in adjusted position by means of a' pawl 12 and segment 13, such as ordinarily employed. A suction-pump 14 of any suitable form is arranged upon the platform 1 adjacent the engine 7 and the shaft 15 of the pump has a sprocket 16 thereon, upon which is arranged a chain 17, which passes over the sprocket 9, hereinbefore referred to.

Mounted in'suitable standards 18 upon the platform 1, near the rear end thereof, are two tanks 19 and .20, respectively, which are cylindrical in form, and the lower one, 19, communicates with the pumpl l through a pipe 21, opening into the upper end thereof. 'A drain-pipe 22 extends downward from the bottom tank 19 and is normally closed by a valve 23. A substantially L-shaped compartment 2 1 is arranged upon the top of tank 19, and opening into one side thereof is a pipe 25, to which hose of any suitable length may be secured. The upper tank 20 is adapted to be ,filled with water by pouring the same'through a valved inlet-pipe 26, and a valved outlet 27 4 is arranged in the bottom of this tank 20 and has a discharge-pipe 28, which opens into the top of chamber 24 and is provided with a When the machine has reached the place where I the cleaning is to be done,'theclutcl 1,1O is thrown into engagement with the sprocket 9, and rotary motion is thus transmitted from engine 7 to pump M, and air is drawn through pipe 25 and chamber 2& to tank 19 and thence through pipe 21 to pump 14. The hose, which may be attached to pipe 25, is placed in the room to be cleaned, and the suction caused by the pump Will, as is obvious, draw all dust, &e., through the hose and pipe 25 into the compartment 24. Here the water which falls by gravity from the sprinkler 29 will moisten the dust and separate it from the air. The dust will thus be deposited upon the bottom of the tank 19, while air will continue outward to the pump 14:. In order to clean the tank 19, it is merely necessary to open the valve 23 and permit the water to run from the upper tank 20 to tank 19.

In the foregoing description We have shown the preferred form of our invention; but we do not limit ourselves thereto, as we are aware that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and we therefore reserve the right to make such changes as fairly fall within the scope of our invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with the platform of a vehicle having a motor thereon and a pump adapted to be driven by the motor; of standards secured upon the platform, cylindrical tanks supported one above the other by the standards, a water-inlet to the upper tank, a valved outlet pipe extending therefrom, a nozzle upon said pipe, an L-shaped compartment opening into the top of the lower tank and inclosing the nozzle, said nozzle extending across the inlet to the compartment, an air-feed pipe opening into said compartment, a pipe connecting the top of the lower tank with the pump and a valved drain-pipe depending from the bottom of the lower tank and projecting through the platform.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

GEQRGE (ELEMENTS. JAMES M. HOSTLER.

Witnesses RICHARD S. RYAN, JOHN H. OLSON. 

